ONE OF the University’s most prominent alumni, Father Patrick Burke, has been appointed to the highest doctrinal body at the Vatican. Fr. Burke, currently editor of Faith magazine and parish priest at Our Lady and St. Ninian’s in Bannockburn, Stirlingshire, will take up his position at the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith at Rome in September.

Fr. Burke, known in St Andrews for his popular and blunt talks to the Catholic Society, has become well known of late in the British media for ardently defending the Catholic faith from attacks (both from within and without) during the period surrounding the death of John Paul II and the election of Benedict XVI. The exacting rhetorical barrage he laid on Christina Odone on the B.B.C.’s Newsnight programme was of particular note. The appearance made Fr. Burke stand out as one wholy unafraid to unabashedly put forth the worldview of the Catholic Church and defend it from secular attacks, though some liberal opponents claimed he was vainly seeking a media persona whilst ignoring the care of his parishioners in Scotland.

However, the Mitre spoke to Jamie McMorrin, a St Andrews student and former parishioner of Fr. Burke, who described such allegations as “frankly ridiculous” adding “those who further them clearly have no idea what they’re talking about”.

“Father has many great gifts,” McMorrin said. “He is an eloquent and persuasive speaker and is very knowledgeable on his subjects.  He is young, dynamic, and not afraid to speak the truth. Catholics should be glad to have him on their television screens! But he is first and foremost a parish priest. It has been my experience that he would never put anything before the care of souls entrusted to him. No other commitment – never mind personal ambition – comes even close to that.”

Professor John Haldane met Fr. Burke during his undergraduate study at St Andrews. Prof. Haldane declared Burke is “multiply gifted as theologian and pastor,” and described the appointment as “a mark of the high estimate of his abilities formed by Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict.”

The appointment marks the latest step in an interesting and varied life. Patrick Burke was born in Rhodesia during that country’s final years, coming to Britain in 1982. While attending the University of St Andrews, he studied theology and philosophy, being elected convener of the Union Debating Society and president of the Catholic Society.

After completing his undergraduate studies, Burke moved on to the Scots College in Rome to answer a vocation to the Catholic priesthood. He earned two degrees from the Gregorian University in the Eternal City and was ordained a priest in 1991.

Fr. Burke then spent some time as the curate of a parish in West Lothian, but returned to Rome to complete his doctorate. During this period, Fr. Burke was in residence at the Teutonic College which gave him the opportunity of frequently meeting Bavaria’s Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now known to the world as Pope Benedict XVI. Fr. Burke, fluent in German, shared with Cardinal Ratzinger a not uncritical interest in the Jesuit philosopher Karl Rahner, the subject of Fr. Burke’s studies. Burke’s doctoral thesis was completed in 1997 and published by Fordham University Press of New York in 2001 titled as Reinterpreting Rahner.

Reflecting on the appointment, Fr. Burke himself had the following words: “It is an honour to have been asked to contribute to the work of the universal church in this way. My sadness at leaving my parishioners in Our Lady and St. Ninian’s in Bannockburn and Sacred Heart in Cowie is tempered by excitement at the prospect of new challenges which lie ahead.” He added: “I am grateful to Cardinal O’Brien [the Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh, Fr. Burke’s bishop] for his support and his willingness to release me from my current responsibilities in Scotland.”